iStock/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — A Russian fighter jet was shot down by militants in a rebel-held area in Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the downing of a Su-25 attack plane flying over the Idlib “de-escalation area” and said the pilot was dead.

The pilot was able to tell the tower he ejected in an area held by Jabhat al-Nusra militants, but the pilot died in a fight with the terrorists, according to the ministry.

Video posted on social media showed the Su-25 going down in flames. The Russian Defense Ministry said preliminary information indicated the plane was downed by a manual anti-aircraft missile system.The ministry said officials were working to bring the pilot’s body home.

The downing of the jet marked one of the few occasions a Russian aircraft was shot down in Syria, a country backed by Russian air power.